Gas-producer.



5.1. GREEN. GAS PRODUCER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26, I915- lwggaw; Patented Ja n.1,f1918.

v 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Ts "Ni H. J. GREEN.

GAS PRODUCER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26.1915.

Patented Jan.1,19 18.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

' .I-IAROLD JAMES GREEN, or BOLTON, ENGLAND; I I

IGAs-rnoDUoER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARoLD J AMns GREEN,

asubject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Bolton, Lancashire', England, have invented certa n newand useful Improvements in and relating to Gas-Pro ducers, of which the following i a specification. c

' This invention refers to improvements in and relating to gas producers, and has for its object to enable such producers to deal with fuels containing volatile condensible hydrocarbons in such a manner as to com-" pletely convert such hydrocarbons into-fixed gases free from tarry matters. The fuels usedmay be either of a caking or non-' caking description, such as the-various classes of bitumlnou's coal. a

According to thi invention, the raw fuel is fed' into the interior of'the producer by a mechanical stoker, or the like,'arranged to deliver the raw fuel'i'n small quantltles Into" the high temperature zone in the lower part of the producer, the rate of feed being adjustable. Means for rotating the grate are provided, to rotate the fuel in this lower part of the producer, so that the Stoker feeds the raw fuel into the incandescent bed rotating past it in such manner that t-he raw fuel is distributed evenly throughout "that section of the high temperature zone which passes the feeding point of the stoker.

n a modification, th'e'upper portionof the-producer wall is constructed "separate from thelowerportion of the producer, and

means are provided for rotating the upper portion of the producer in the same direction as the grate, such upper portion being prefera-bly' supported on rollers, and water seals or the like meansmay be provided to prevent air leakage between the rotating and nonerotating sections of the producer and the delivery pipe above the producer. Such an arrangementmaterially assists the rotation of the'fuel bed past the feed point of'the stoker. With either of the arrangements described, secondary air inlets'may be provided about the zone of high temperature, toassist the creation and maintaining'of such temperature and the combination of the air with the hydrocarbon distillates to form fixed Working gases. Further advantages accrue from the rotation of'the'fuel inside; the producer by means of the rotation of grate-orof the grate and upper partof, thethe producer by means of the rotation of the I Specification of Letters Patent.

producer, inasmuch as such actionwill tend to consolidate the fuel and prevent arching and the formation of air spaces in the body of'the fuel and tendency of clinker to adhere to the producer walls. In construction, the

producer Will preferably be of the type opf part of the producer. I As far as possible consistent with the invention and the nature of the fuel used, the producer in construction and operation will follow the standard lines of producers which have been successfully developed to use fuel :of a'inore purely carbon nature, such as anthraclte.

Gas producers in "accordance with this invention are shown-- in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1. is a sectional elevation of a gas producer having a rotary grate and a mechanical stokerarranged to feed the raw fuel into the high temperature Zone in the lower partof the producer. Flg. 2. 1san analogousview of a-ga-s-pro ducer having'a rotary grate and mechanical stoker, the later being inclined, the producer being provided With a system of secondary a r adm ssion n the" lower part thereof.

Fig. 3. is-a p'art sectional elevation of a gas producer illustratingan alternative constructionin' which the upper portion of the producer Wall is built separate from the -'lower part, means being provided f0r 'rotat1ng such upper part and fitting with water seals. The same letters are used 'toindicate Patented J a11.1, 1918. ha 'n ati'o filed Ju1y26,1915. seria1No.41,92a I i similar parts throughout the several viewsx i Referring first to Fig. 1, the producer a consists of the usual lron CZLSlIlgOfCllClllELI section, lined with firebrickf or-other refrac tory material, and havinga grate and fire plate 72 mounted above the ashtray b fboth f being slowly rotated by the pinion b engag u upon the rollers or ball bearings f whichin 1 turn rest' upon'the base plate b Asorew ing'the gear I). The ashtrav :b revolves b offsubstantial{section supports theweight of the grate and the fuelin'side the producer, and by means of this'screw the grate may be raised or lowered when thewormwheel 6 is rotated by a"wo'rm,-'not shown-1 Raisedribs e are provided, preferably cast as part of the firepla'te 1b, and engage'with and positively I'OtatGthGiIlGlJH the-lower part of the producer. The'raw fuel is con} tained in a fuel hopperfi-prefirably co n ered by an air-tight lid h At the foot of the hopper is a cylinder or the like 0 penetrating through the producer wall a and directed toward the interior of the producer at about the level of the high temperature Zone. A fuel ram 1" works through this cylinder from'the'hopper tothe interior of the i, when the fuel ram 9" is at the outer end of its stroke, leaving the cylinder empty for the fuel to enter. Theamount of raw fuel allowed each time tofall into the cylinder c-is regulated by the movable slide Z operated by the pinion Z engaging a rack in the top of the slide Z. The fuel ram 1' is operated by the pinion r engaging in a rack on the under side of the ram. The cylinder 0 may be water-cooled if necessary.

The customary addition of water vapor to the entering air for regulating the temperature of the producer and for enriching the gas is obtained from the funnel 0 and pipe 0 which leads to above the fireplate b. A series of pipes may be used, if desired, distributed around the producer. The water will be evaporated by the heat of the fireplate 6 and the ashes resting thereon, and the fireplate Z2 and the ribs 6 will be cooled appreciably in consequence, and their liabil ity to be burnt diminished.

If desired, a water pipe may be led from the funnel 0 to the ashtray N, which latter may be kept more or less full of water and the water vapor from which will also enter the producer with the entering air. ater vapor may also be obtained from a vaporizer situated in any convenient part of the producer or delivery pipe, and be delivered by a pipe or pipes as at n. A delivery pipe d is fitted through which the gas is drawn from the producer. Poking holes p are arranged in the upper cover of the producer to allow of parallel poking in the interior of the producer if desired. An inspection tube i is fitted with. an air-tight mica or thick glass eyepiece to allow of the height of the fuel in the interior of the producer being readily ascertained. The producer is supported upon standards m. The mech anism for operating the'fuel ram 1' and rotating the grate b and timing the periods at which the fuel ram feeds may be of any suitable design, and is not limited to any particular construction. I

hen in operation, the air and water vapor will enter the producer at the foot and the resultant gas will be drawn ofi by the delivery pipe 03. The grate and fireplate b will be slowly rotated, carrying with them the fuel in the lower part of the producer, which action will be assisted by the radiating ribs 6 cast on the fireplate b. It will also be further assisted by constructing that portion of the producer wall surrounding the feeding zone of the stoker in the shape of a truncated cone, as indicated at o by reason of which thefriction of the fuel along the producer wall will be diminished. The fuel hopper h being required and with the fuel ram 1 at the outer end of its stroke, the raw fuel will fall by gravity into the cylinder 0, the amount depending upon the extent to which the slide Z is opened. The fuel ram 1 operated by the pinion r will then move inward at any desired speed and drive the raw fuel out of the cylinder 0 into the high temperature zone in the lower part of the producer. To avoid any tendency to am the ram 1 by the fuel, I may construct the cylinder c of oval section, and allow a certain amount of clearance above the fuel ram 1 when passing through the cylinder 0. Also, I may form the end 1 of the fuel ram 1 which enters into the fuel in the interior of the producer of wedge shape, as shown in the drawing, so that the ram 7 will tend to lift the fuel upward rather than push it radially toward the center, or laterally in the same plane. When the fuel ram 0 has reached the end of its stroke, it will be drawn back by the pinion r to its normal position at the outer end of the cylinder 0, and another charge of raw fuel. will fall into the cylinder 0 and remain there until the stroke is to be repeated. Concurrently with the above, the fireplate and grate b will be slowly rotated, taking with them the hot fuel in the lower part of the producer,by which means, high temperature fuel will pass the feeding point of the stoker. After any desired rotation of the fuel bed has taken place, the ram 9" will repeat its stroke and deliver another charge of raw fuel into the high temperature zone at a point distinct from that of the previous stroke. By continuing this cycle of operations,.the raw fuel will be distributed regularly and evenly throughout the high temperature feedingzone in the lower part of the producer. The

raw fuel cannot, therefore, accumulate in a large compact mass'in the producer, so as to exercise a chilling effect upon the incan- Owing, there,

descent fuel surrounding it. fore, toits eflicient distribution and small regular rate of feed thetemperature of the producer will 'be maintained and the volatile hydrocarbons in the raw fuel will instantly commence to distil after insertion, and the fuel will be effectively coked; There will be little tendency for the fuel to cake during distillation as the raw fuel will besurrounded by incandescent fuel which is already coked. Any tendency in this direction would filled with raw fuel as by the "inward motioinof the ramb'The small regular rate offeed will'insure' that there will be no spontaneous evolution of hy-' drooarbon gases in excessive quantities such as would take place if a large supply of raw fuel were suddenly introduced into the pro- 'ducer. Owin .to the proximity of the raw fuel under distillation to the air supply froi-n the grate, and to the small amount of hydrocarbons liberated atany period, there will bean ample'supply of air to produce the necessary temperature'to' split up these hydrocarbons into their component gases and to combine-with them and with any free carbon present to form fixed and permanent gases of high calorific value; p

VVhen using inferior "fuels, especially of small size, the necessary temperature for the reduction of the gases will not be obtained so easily and I may'provide secondary air inlets about the high temperature zone to assist in creat ng and maintaining such temperature. This seco'ndaryair admission may, also be used when the produeer s to use fuels in which the volatile hydrocarbons are in excess. ,7

illustrated in the producer shown in Fig. 2. Secondary air inlets ,s' are provided about the incandescent zonein the lower' part of the producer adapted to supply addition'al air to necessary bination to form fixed, working" gases.

These secondary air inlets may be suitably controlled by valves, or other approved means, if desired. In Fig.2. an alternative construction of the stoker is shown in which the fuel ram 1- and cylinder .0 are inclined at an angle and directed toward the upper part of the producer. The feeding action of the stoker is otherwise the same as in.

In Fig. 3. is illustrated an alternative contion a of the producer in the same direction as the grate b rotates. The frictionof the fuel'against the inside wall of thisupper section will revolve the fuel with it and thus assist the action of the grate in rotating the fuel in the lower part of the producer past r v U as at n, and would Such an application of the invention is assist in creating and maintaining a; zone ofhigh temperature at the temperature i for. the effective breaking up. of the hydrocarbons and for their proper com! shown in the the feeding point of the stoker; A water seal to is provided between the stationary lower section a and the rotating section-a to prevent air leakage into the producer," and asecondwater'seal'w is placed between the non-rotating and rotating sections "of the delivery pipe (Z for a similar purpose. In order to prevent excessive evaporation of" the water-in this delivery pipe sea-l by the heat of the gas from the producer the iron casings containing and dipping into the sealing water are extended downward for some distance as shown in Fig. 3., in order to provide'an air spacew between them and the delivery pipe d and lessen the amount of heat transferred by conduction along the ironcasing itself..- iMake-up water may be allowed to drip: into each of these seals, fitted ifidesired; "The lower's'tatio'nary sectiona may be eitherlined .with' firebrick' or other refractory mate'rial similar to the producer walls, or it may be constructed hollow to contain water and so act as a water vaporizer, as illustrated in Fig. 3. This would supply water vapor to the fire g rate, for' ixing with the entering air passing into the producer, by way of the pipe or pipes advantage of presenting a'smooth 'metallic inner surface which would offer a minimum offriction to the rotatingfueh This con stru'ction .of vaporizer vmay also to either of the producers illustrated in Figs. 1." or: 2. Further, instead of the raw fuel falling gravity from, the hopper 7; into the "cylinder 0, as shown'in Figs. "1. and 2.', I may provide asecond ram or piston r vvork u ing at the foot of the hopper 71 at the entranceto a passagec leading to the inclined cylinders. The auxiliary ram r will grade ually push the raw vfuel through this pas sage intolthe cylinder, 0 and thus readily to adjustment, by which meansthe I rate offeed; of .raw fuel into the producer maybe readily varied. In order to prevent excessive air leakage past the fuel ram rand auxiliary ram W, I may provide a light packing gland r to one or both of the rams as drawing, if experience should prove it desirable. Y

and overflow pip-es" 185' also have the further I be applied l positively feed "the'raw fuel at any desired, rate. The

' stroke; ofth'eauxiliary ram 1 lendslitself 10 The producers illustrated are all of the open grate type, but it is not necessary that this construction should be followed, as the producer casing may be continued to the ground and the grate space inclosed. Water i lutes may also be provided for removing the ashes from this inclosed space. The air passing through all or any of the inlets, and especially the secondary air inlets, may be previously heated if desired. The apparatus illustrated, b b, in the various producers,

for raising and lowering the grates for the 'tuted. Also, the mechanism for driving o mechanlcal stoker and rotatlng the grate, and in Flg. 3. rotatlng the upper section a removal of clinker and ashes inside the producers, need not be adhered to if desired, and. any approved design may be subst1- the of the producer, may be of any suitable design. Thespeed of the driving gear may also be varied by speed cones or any other 10,.

" tight slide or valve is provided underneath the lid or cover at the top of the hopper, which slide is only opened when the raw fuel has beenplaced upon it and the upper lid closed. This design, of course, is to prevent the admission of air through the fuel hopper to the producer when refilling the fuel hopper. 1

The temperature of the producer may be modified by the customary admission of water, either in vaporous or liquid form, to all or any of the air inlets, or by any other approved means. If the water vapor is used it may be generated in any convenient man-v ner, such as by heat from the generator itself or from the gaseous product or from an outside source.

To start the producer, the upper portion of the fuel space up to about the working level may be filled with gas coke, or in an alternative method, after the Wood chips oily waste or the like has been laid on the grate and ,the producer filled to about halfway up to the working level. A second layer ofwood chips, oily waste, or the like may then be laid over started at this upper layer, and more fuel added until the producer is filled to, about the working level. After the fire has been well blown by the fan, the fire may be started in the lower half and the fan kept going Copies of this patent may boob tamed. for

this lower fuel and the fire and the employment of water se als 1n connection therewith, have already been pro:

claims for these feaposed, and I make no but only in the imtures by themselves,

proved combination and construction which constitutes my present invention.

I claim 1. In a gas producer, in combination, a producer for containing fuel? having an upper part separate and rotatable and a lower fixed part; means for rotatingthe upper part; means forfeeding. raw fuel in small charges into the lower fixed part and through the side thereof; a fixed delivery pipe from the upper rotary part; water seals between the delivery pipe and the rotary upper part; and such rotary upper part and the fixed lower part; and a rotary grate for rotating the fuelpast the feeding point.

2. In a gas producer, a producing cham ber for containing. fuel, a rotary hollow grate in the producing chamber, means for rotating the grate, meansfor adjusting the grate vertically,'a hopper supported adjacent the gas producer and in communication therewith, a reciprocating conveyer operatingadjacent the lower end of the hopper for forcing material from the hopper into the producing chamber, means for forcing air under the grate, ribs 'on' the upper surface of the grate for agitating the material in the producing chamber and a gas exhaust pipe in the upper partof the gas producer for exhausting gas therefrom.

In testimony whereof I affi my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HAROLD JAMES GREEN.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. i 

